Ballerina on Pointe: Stay on Your Toes!
by A Little Illumination
Summary: Sakuno has a hobby one that no one knows about, not even Tomoka! What happens when Sakuno gets herself a stalker after the exposure of this talent? What lengths will the Regulars, one in particular, go to to save her? FujiSakuno
1. Exposed

**Okay, y'all. This is my first Prince of Tennis/ Tennis no Oujisama Fanfiction, so please don't send too many flames. But I think this is a good idea to support my favorite female character – Sakuno! **

**P.S. Sakuno is a Freshman in high school and so is Ryoma, Horio, and the other two whose names I can't remember. If you know them, please tell me. Tezuka is a Junior, and any 9th graders are also Juniors. Momoshiro and any other 8th graders from the series are Sophomores in high school. Get it? The guys still have never seen Sakuno with her hair down, by the way. But now, she just wears it in one longer braid. Get it? Got it? Good. Now, on with the story!**

Sumire Ryuzaki took another glance over at her granddaughter. Sakuno was very nervous about the fact that she was about to give a recital at the school. Her secret hobby would be revealed to everyone!

"Sakuno, you have nothing to worry about. No one is going to laugh at you." She tried, once again, to console her.

"No one was supposed to know!" Sakuno cried out. "This was just supposed to be a hobby!" Ryuzaki-sensei just sighed and kept driving.

Soon, they arrived at the school and got out of the car. Sakuno shot off like a rocked to the auditorium. Soon, the Regulars came into view.

"Hey, Ryuzaki-sensei!" Eiji called. She nodded to them, smiling. Tezuka was silent, but he nodded to his teacher, and she did the same. Momo looked around.

"Ne, where's Sakuno-chan?" Ryuzaki-sensei smiled.

"You'll see her at some point. We're in the front row, right?" She asked, changing the subject. She lead them to their seats at Oishi's nod.

Soon, the music began, and a spotlight shone on a white-clad figure. Sitting on one bent leg, she leaned out with her arms toward the ballet-slipper-covered feet on her extended leg. Suddenly, the voice of a narrator came out of the darkness. The audience listened intently to the story as the girl danced.

_"Once upon a time, there was a girl who loved nature. She loved laying on the sun-warmed grass and picking the flowers the earth gave her..." _the narrators voice droned on as the white-clad girl raised her head and arms to the sky, a joyful expression on her face. Quickly, she was up on her feet, moving around gracefully in her white Pointe shoes. Then, they took a good look at her face, and went into shock. Eiji leaned to his right and whispered to his sensei.

"Sensei, is that Sakuno-chan?" At Ryuzaki-sensei's nod, he continued watching. As soon as the curtain lifted again, they saw Sakuno in a knee-length red outfit with Victorian sleeves. On her feet were deep red Pointe slippers, and her brown hair was in a mass of thick curls on the top of her head.

This time, she was with a male dancer, and they were dancing a fabulous pas de deux. As the final scene, it was very dramatic, and finally, as the music ended, Sakuno threw her arms around her partner's neck. His forehead leaned down to touch hers and his arms pulled her to him by her waist. Then, the spotlight on them went out.

The Seigaku Regulars pushed their way through the throng of people backstage, trying to find their friend. When they found her, she was with a woman they didn't recognize. It appeared as though the woman was congratulating her. Sakuno was smiling widely, her honey brown eyes were warm and enthusiastic as she nodded her thanks. When she turned towards them, she looked a bit startled. But then she smiled at them and came towards them.

"I hope you enjoyed the show." She said, fiddling with her water bottle. The smiled at her and nodded. They then proceeded to tell her their favorite parts.

They were still doing this as they walked Sakuno to her grandmother's car. She had changed into Seigaku blue velveteen sweatpants and her Nikes.

"...I really loved the ending though." Eiji said.

"The pas de deux?" Sakuno asked him. He got a confused look on his face. "It's French." He nodded. "It means 'partner dance' or something." He nodded again.

"You and your partner made them look really easy." Sakuno laughed.

"It was probably one of the most difficult things in the ballet to learn. Do you remember that day I came to school limping?" Oishi came in, his part as the "Mother of Seigaku" taking over.

"Yes, you had your ankle all wrapped up."

"Well, we were already practicing for this ballet at the time. He dropped me once during practice. It was an accident!" She said defensively as she saw the anger on their faces.

As they bid her farewell, they all felt a similar feeling wash over them. They no longer had an innocent someone they had to protect.

Oh how wrong they were...


	2. Strange Figure at Practice

Sakuno smiled at herself in the mirror. She loved the Seishun High School uniforms. The ones from junior high were tacky (in her opinion). But now, she wore a blue and white sailor uniform (A/N: Think of Kagome's from Inuyasha, but where it's green on hers, it's blue on Sakuno's!) The only thing that stood out on the white and blue uniform was the red tie around her neck. However, when she examined her hair, she frowned.

Now in high school, her hair was halfway down her calves. Looking at her clock, she saw that she had an hour left before class. So, grabbing her bag and her purse, she ran to the salon.

When she got to school, her usual group of friends (Tomoka, Momo, Ryoma, Eiji, Fuji, Oishi, and Kaidoh) was in the courtyard under their usual Sakura tree. Soon, Tomoka realized that the braid swinging behind her friend was much shorter than usual.

"Sakuno!" Tomoka shouted, running up to her friend. She went behind her and started pulling on the tie on her braid.

"OW! Tomoka, what are you _doing _to my hair?!" Sakuno cried. Tomoka successfully removed the blue hair tie and ran her fingers through Sakuno's hair, laying out against her shoulders.

"I was RIGHT! You did get your hair cut!" Tomoka came around and hugged her, squealing. Sakuno winced at the contraction of her ribs.

"Yes... now, Tomo, could you _let go of me?_" Sakuno gasped out. Tomoka let her go, and started waving her arms around, raving about what Sakuno could do to her hair. Sakuno took the chance and stole her hair tie back, beginning to pull her hair back into a braid.

"OH NO YOU DON'T!" Tomoka cried, trying to get the hair tie back. However, Sakuno foresaw this event, and had already begun rushing towards their friends. She hid behind Eiji and Fuji as she finished tying her hair back. She stepped out from behind them, her dance bag on one shoulder, and her messenger bag slung across on the same shoulder. She stared at her friend heatedly, not quite glaring.

"Now, Tomoka, I'm going to say this nicely this time. Do. Not. Ever. Do. That. Again. I carry an entire package of hair ties on me at ALL times. So, whether you like it or not, my hair WILL be pulled back in its usual braid. OKAY?" She asked forcefully. Tomoka nodded, pouting. Sakuno sighed, relaxing, and turned to her other friends only to see them gaping at her. "What?" She asked, exasperated.

"Your hair is really pretty, Sakuno-chan!" Momoshiro spoke up, smiling. Sakuno smiled politely.

"Arigato, Momo-senpai." He just smiled and nodded to her.

**After School (A/N: Sorry about skipping their whole day, but I couldn't think of anything. You'll get a few hints about Sakuno's day, though.)**

Sakuno laughed animatedly at something that Fuji said as the whole group followed her to her dance class. They had decided as a group that they wanted to watch her practice, so she had no qualms about letting them. Tezuka had joined their group, but Taka had to go work at the Sushi shop.

"So, Sakuno-chan, how did it feel to have people complimenting you all day?" Tomoka asked slyly. Sakuno looked a bit troubled.

"It was okay...except for one thing. In all of my classes, it felt like I was being watched." Tomoka patted her shoulder.

"People were probably sneaking glances at you, that's all."

"No, Tomoka-chan. Even in the Library, and in Study Hall, when no one was even near me, it felt like someone was boring holes in my head. And elsewhere..." She muttered the last part, even though everyone in the group still heard it. Some of the males who were overprotected of their kouhai tensed up, but said nothing. Sakuno quickly brightened up, however. "It's probably nothing, though. Come on, or I'll be late for class!"

The regulars (plus Tomoka) were deeply interested as they walked into the room of dancers. Most all of them were on Pointe, except for a few small girls who looked as if they were getting assistance from the older girls.

"So, this is where I practice." Sakuno's voice sounded from behind them. They turned and saw her in a pink leotard with white athletic shorts (Soffes) over it. She held white leg warmers and a pair of somewhat scuffed, light pink Pointe slippers, their ribbons dangling innocently. Her brown hair was in a lose bun on the back of her head, and her cinnamon eyes were sparkling with laughter. She led them over to a place where there were chairs set up, a little off the laminate-wood dance floor. She sat on the edge of the floor and slipped the slippers on her feet, tying the ribbons gingerly around her calves. After she finished with that, she slipped the leg warmers onto her legs. She talked to them as she began her leg stretches. They were slightly surprised as they saw how flexible she was. Soon, she called another girl over.

"Guys, this is Maria. She usually helps me with stretches and stuff like that. She is also my instructor." Maria was about five and a half feet tall, with black hair and brown eyes. Her hair was pulled into a French braid behind her. She wore a purple leotard and black shorts, and unlike Sakuno, wore no leg warmers over her calves.

"You know what to do, Sakuno." Sakuno laid on her back, bringing one leg up parallel to her body as her sensei held the other leg firmly to the floor. Sakuno allowed her toe, which was pointed to line up with her leg, to touch the floor for a few moments before she switched legs. After that, Maria-sensei left, and Sakuno got up.

"You guys are staring again." Her friends shook themselves out of it, before complimenting her.

"Whoa, Sakuno-chan! I don't even know if I'm that flexible!" Eiji said energetically. Sakuno blushed, but turned when she heard a "Sakuno-sensei!" She bent down to eye level with who looked to be a seven year old girl.

"Hai, Haikumi-chan?" Sakuno asked her. The little girl looked down at the floor, rubbing her novice-slipper into the floor.

"Could you help me with my pirouettes, Sakuno-sensei? Please?" She looked up, her eyes hopeful. Sakuno laughed and nodded, taking her hands.

"Sure. Come on." She looked back and waved to her friends, who knew the class was about to start. They looked around at other people who were seated there. Everything looked normal except for a person clothed in all black, who had a hat on and a scarf covering their face. They all thought that it was probably nothing, though, because it was probably just a spy from some other school or something. They shrugged it off, and turned to watch the class. Little Haikumi had run out of the room, headed for her own class. Soon, Maria turned on music, and the entire class began to perform in unison. However, it quickly broke out where it was clear that Sakuno was the lead, and she was dancing gracefully, her movements all moving into the next.

All too soon, to the Regulars, anyway, the practice was over, and Sakuno came over to them in sweats that were styled the same as the ones she had worn on the night of the performance, but in black instead, a white camisole standing out from under the half-zipped, hooded jacket. She had her pink and black bag on her shoulder, her messenger bag slug across her body from the same shoulder.

"You guys ready to go?" She asked, smiling. They all nodded, escorting her home. They had noticed during her break in the practice that she had seemed a bit troubled, but she told them it was nothing, and she quickly shook it off.

They escorted her home, per usual, dropping Tomoka off first. She smiled at them as they walked away, and shut the door.

Unseen to their eyes, after they left, Sakuno locked both locks on the heavy front door, and went around the house, making sure all the windows were shut and locked, and closing the blinds, drawing the heavy curtains over them. She then took her bags up to her room, shut and locked the door, and got her dad's old baseball bat our from her closet. The metal one. Tonight was her grandmother's bridge night. She probably would not be home until very, very late. So, with that, Sakuno took a bag of chips out of her private stash, along with a strawberry Ponta, and ate. After that, she slept, with the bat by her side the entire time.


	3. The Phone Call

**Gomen Nasai!!!! I'm very sorry that it's been so long since I last updated. There's been a lot going on with life and school and, now that summer's started, I think I'll be updating as much as possible. I'll do my best to make this chapter a good one, though!**

Several weeks had passed, and whilst she told her friends that she felt fine, she continued to get the feeling that she was being watched. It was highly uncomfortable for her, and she was beginning to think that she had a stalker. She had continued for a while to tell her friends of her discomfort, but the straw that broke the camel's back came in a mysterious cell phone call during lunch one day.

_**Flashback**_

_Sakuno sat with her friends at their usual table. The sophomores and juniors were joking about the art teacher, whilst Sakuno and Tomoka were chatting about their math class earlier that day. All of a sudden, Umbrella by Rihanna began playing out of Sakuno's phone. She answered it with a happy,_

_"Hello?" They couldn't hear the voice on the other end of the line, but they saw Sakuno's eyebrows shoot up, and then furrow deep into her nose. "Who is this?" She demanded, shooting glances at the rest of the group. Then they saw a scared look cross her face. "Listen here, weirdo. I don't know how you got this number, but leave me alone!" _

_The tennis players looked at her with slight worry. _

_"Is everything okay, Sakuno-chan?" Eiji questioned. She heaved out a heavy sigh. _

_"Hai. Everything's just fine." She plastered a (obviously) fake smile on her face, and turned away from them. She was silent for the rest of the day._

_**End Flashback**_

However scared she was, she wasn't willing to put that on her friends' shoulders. Therefore, she always changed the subject whenever the phone call came up.

This didn't stop the regulars from talking about it though.

"What do you think is wrong with Ryuzaki-chan?" Oishi questioned the other tennis players.

" I don't know, but she seems kind a out of it since that phone call. And she keeps avoiding the subject whenever it pops up. It's kind of frightening. She's never been this secretive since any of us have known her. And Tezuka's known her since forever." Tezuka nodded his head as some of the younger regulars looked at him.

"I babysat her when she was in elementary school." The others looked more enlightened, and nodded their heads.

Tomoka decided that she was not going to let Sakuno hide this from her anymore.

"Sakuno, we need to talk about this."


	4. Out In the Open

_***This chapter is officially dedicated to geebabbie for all of her amazing support from the beginning of this story. Thanks again!***_

**Recap:**

_Tomoka decided that she was not going to let Sakuno hide this from her anymore._

"_Sakuno, we need to talk about this."_

**Chapter Four: Out In The Open**

"I don't know what you're talking about, Tomo." Sakuno feigned innocence while she tugged at the neat braid that she had pulled in front of her shoulder.

"Don't lie to me, Sakuno." Tomoka said stubbornly. "Ever since you got that phone call, you've been super-quiet and you've been nervous all the time. What's up? What did whoever that was say to make you like this?" Sakuno sighed quietly and bowed her head at the combined stare of the tennis players and her best friend.

"It was the man in black from the studio, the one who was there a few weeks ago." mumbled the ballerina, seeming very shy to talk about the situation. "I know that his voice is very deep, and he said... he said he liked the way I danced." She stumbled over the words, feeling vulnerable. "He said that I was very pretty, and that he wished I could dance just for him. That he knew I was a smart girl... that he had seen me in class." She felt the senpai-tachi tense immediately at the mention of him seeing her in class.

"But how could he have seen her in class?" Eiji wondered aloud. "She would have noticed anyone out of place staring at her. And she said the only people who had been around her when she felt like she was being stared at were classmates and teachers."

Sakuno saw a disturbed look appear on everyone's faces as they thought about it. Fuji's bright cerulean eyes were wide open as he focused intently on the situation at hand.

"That says it then, doesn't it?" His voice was far calmer than he felt, but he knew he had to keep it that way. _Sakuno is a beautiful young woman,_ he thought to himself, _but she's my kouhai and I'm sure she still has feelings for Echizen... even though he's in America. _

"What says anything, Fuji-senpai?" Tomoka questioned warily, eyes shining with worry. While she was boisterous and loud, the quiet Sakuno was her best friend, and she couldn't stand even thinking that anyone was out to get her.

"If only teachers and classmates were around her when she was being watched... then it would be a teacher or a classmate of hers that would be stalking her. Doesn't that make sense? And we all know that Ryuzaki-sensei's number and residence aren't listed in the phone book... I'd lean more towards a teacher or a student who knows how to hack the school's security files to be the cause of this." Inui nodded his head in agreement to the prodigy's theory.

"It makes sense," the data gatherer commented, pushing his glasses up his nose and scribbling away in his notebook. "Because the school has all the teacher's information on file. But I doubt anyone outside of the computer club would be able to hack Seigaku's firewall. It's far too advanced for any minor hacker." The regulars were all nodding their heads, Looking back and forth at one another.

Sakuno's voice broke the somewhat thick silence that had begun to surround them. "But...why would a teacher be following me? It doesn't make any sense. Obaa-chan said that when she applied to work with Seigaku, the school ran a full background check on her to make sure she didn't have any sort of criminal past. If there was a teacher here who was a child predator, or who had been caught stalking someone, how could they have gotten the job here? It doesn't make any sense."

Tezuka's voice answered her. "It would only make sense, then, Sakuno, that they have either never done this before, which seems unlikely; or that they have never been caught and convicted of it." Kaidoh hissed angrily at the thought. Though he seemed like a huge tough guy, every regular on the Seigaku tennis team, even him, had a soft spot for the quiet-spoken kouhai before them.

"What am I supposed to do? It's the middle of the semester, I can't transfer out of my classes." Sakuno's worried voice echoed through the private room of Kawamura Sushi in which they were seated.

"Don't worry, Sakuno-chan," Fuji's voice was low and mellow compared to the rising pitch of Sakuno's own frightened tones. "We'll figure something out. Maybe we can find a way to transfer someone into your classes. We can always ask Ryuzaki-sensei what she thinks-"

"No." her voice firm, Sakuno's cinnamon eyes were unwavering against Fuji's blue. "She doesn't know about any of this. And as long as I can keep it that way, I will."

"With all due respect, Ryuzaki-chan," Momo let his voice ring out. "In interest for your safety, we probably should let her know."

"She'll make me stop dancing!" Sakuno exclaimed, seemingly shocked that Momo would suggest it. "All my hard work up until now would have been for nothing!"

Takashi's timid voice caught her attention.

"We are trying to think of ways to keep you safe, Ryuzaki-chan. If it comes down to it, you can always start dancing again after we get this taken care of. And think about it; whoever this person is, he is fond of your dancing. If he thinks that you've stopped dancing for good, then would he still follow you?"

Sakuno, while semi-shocked that Taka-san had let more than one sentence out of his mouth at one time, knew that he had a point. This stalker, for she could no longer deny that that's what she had, loved her dancing. He said that he thought her graceful and beautiful when she danced. But if she stopped dancing...? Would he still follow her? Would he still shadow her constantly? She hoped not. Because, though it had been her most tightly guarded secret, ballet was her passion. She loved it, and she didn't know what she'd do if she was forced to give it up for the rest of her life.

She sighed grimly and then, slowly, nodded her head. She looked up only to catch the intense eyes of Fuji Syusuke and fought back a raging blush that threatened to overcome her face, though she knew some pink managed to grace her cheeks none the less. _Mou, why is Fuji-senpai staring at me? His eyes are such a beautiful color..._ At that thought Sakuno's face got redder as she glued her eyes to the tabletop instead.

"I suppose... that for now, the safest thing for me to do would be to stop dancing. But what should I do now? I spent my hours after school at the studio. Those are hours when no one would be at my house but me, which for obvious reasons right now wouldn't be wise."

Oishi's tense, yet gentle voice managed to calm some of Sakuno's present fears.

"You can always start coming back to the tennis practices." Sakuno smiled at the offer, but shook her head.

"I wouldn't have anything to do. I need to be able to move, do something." Fuji looked at her again.

"Saa, Ryuzaki-chan. Do you like photography?" Sakuno, though confused at his seemingly strange question, nodded.

"Hai, Fuji-senpai. But how does that help me?" Fuji smiled his constant smile.

"I could pull some strings with the Photography Club and you could take pictures at tennis practice for your portfolio. Make sense to you, Inui?" The data man nodded.

"I think, Ryuzaki-chan, that Fuji's plan makes perfect sense for your situation. This way, you have something to do at our practices, but you would also be around all of us, making it nearly impossible for something to happen to you. And you could either go home with Ryuzaki-sensei after practice or one of us could escort you home. Your safety is assured at almost all times. And, of course, we will figure something out with your schedule. I just need time to think..." and Inui went back to writing rapidly in his notebook. Sakuno smiled her gratitude at Fuji.

"Fuji-senpai, arigato. I appreciate all of this so much..." She looked at the group with a brighter smile than she had sported in weeks. "You guys..." She was cut off as a hug from Tomoka and Momoshiro on either side of her cut off her air supply.

"Don't worry about it, Sakuno-chan!" They chorused together. Smiles and chuckles were released all around the table as the tension finally lifted. Sakuno merely nodded with a cheerful smile, and tucked into her sushi as soon as she was released.

Hours later, as the sun began to set and the group prepared to leave, Fuji placed himself by Sakuno's side.

"Sakuno-chan. Did you need someone to accompany you home?" Fuji saw, beneath nearly-closed eyelids, his kouhai look at him with a strange look in her eye.

"Uhm... I don't want to impose, Fuji-senpai." She began to tangle her fingers together and look down shyly.

_She looks so cute._ Fuji shook the thought away with a minute, barely identifiable twitch of his head.

"It's no problem at all, Sakuno-chan. If you need someone to walk with you, I will be more than happy to accompany you." Sakuno nodded and shot him a shy smile, which, with his permanent smile on his face, Fuji wasted no time in returning.

Gathering her things, Sakuno started for the door behind most everyone else, only Fuji following closely behind her.

At various stops on the way, all of the regulars (and Tomoka, of course) broke off on their own way home. Soon it was Fuji, Sakuno, and Momoshiro, who lived about three blocks from Sakuno's own home.

"Ja Fuji, Sakuno-chan. I'll see you guys later." Momoshiro waved energetically as he entered the front gate of his home.

"Ja, Momo-senpai!" Sakuno returned his wave with a much smaller one to accompany her farewell. Fuji nodded his head in Momoshiro's direction, and the two continued on their way.

The two walked silently for several moments, each caught up in their own thoughts. Though it seemed his eyes were closed, Fuji actually kept them slightly open at all times. And he was currently keeping his eyes, and thoughts, trained on one Ryuzaki Sakuno. _She's so quiet,_ he noticed, observing how she kept her eyes down, and her hands demurely clasped in front of her. _I have to wonder if it is because of all that's happening, or if she's just so shy naturally..._

"Do you like photography, Fuji-senpai?" The soft voice of the object of his thoughts broke Fuji's aimless internal wanderings.

"Hai, Sakuno-chan. I do indeed. Why do you ask?" He might as well have a conversation with her, instead of just giving one word answers.

"Because you said that you could pull strings with the photography club... but I've never seen you involved with any other club or team than the Tennis team." She replied honestly. Fuji's shoulders shook slightly in silent laughter. _She's so naïve,_ he thought.

"Aa. I've taken advanced classes all through school, so instead of spending my free study period out on the tennis courts, as Tezuka and the others usually do, I spend mine with the Photography Club members in the dark room." Sakuno, to his amazement, looked genuinely interested in what he was telling her.

"That's got to be fun," she spoke softly, not really able to think of a witty comeback to his explanation. Fuji chuckled again.

"You know, Sakuno-chan," he spoke calmly. Sakuno listened, enraptured by the sound of his voice. _It's so soothing to listen to him speak,_ she thought, wanting to just close her eyes and listen to him. "I have a feeling you and I are going to be friends through all of this. You _can _call me by my name." Sakuno felt a blush rise up the back of her neck. As she paid attention to her surroundings, she saw that they were only a few doors down from her house.

"F...Syusuke-senpai," She looked up and was once again met by intense cerulean eyes trained on her. He seemed to look slightly disapproving. "S-Syusuke-kun." She was almost breathless for seeing his smile soften along with his eyes at her. She fought back another blush as he walked her to her front door.

"You know, Sakuno-chan," he repeated his earlier start. "Maybe, when you can say it without stuttering, I'll show you some of my pictures." He closed his eyes again and smiled as she almost missed the lock with her key.

"I... I'd like that, Syusuke-kun." Her reply was soft, but Fuji found that he liked the sound of his name rolling off her lips.

"I suppose that I will see you tomorrow, Sakuno-chan." Fuji looked up only slightly and saw that the lithe ballerina had her spice-colored eyes trained on him. "I'll probably be the one walking you home. The group had decided that Momo will be here in the morning to walk with you to school, since he's the one that wouldn't have to stray off of his usual path to walk you." Sakuno then felt a pang of regret for all the trouble that the boys were going to to protect her.

"Syusuke-kun," she began hesitantly. Fuji, who had started walking down the pathway back to the sidewalk, turned slightly to look at her. "Please forgive me; you're all going so far out of your way to help me. I don't know how I'll ever be able to show how grateful I truly am for this." She was bowing slightly, and refused to meet his gaze.

She was shocked when, not only did Fuji's feet seem to materialize within her ground-focused gaze, but two warm, strong arms wrapped around her shoulders. Fuji leaned down to whisper in her ear,

"We are doing this because we worry and care for you, Sakuno. Do not think that you have to pay us back for anything." Wrapping her arms numbly around the tensai's waist, she nodded her head against his chest as she enjoyed the warmth surrounding her. She breathed in relief at the fact that she no longer had to hide any of the things bothering her from her friends. It was all out in the open.

Across the street from the silent couple, a pair of eyes covered by sunglasses narrowed at the two. _Keep your hands to yourself, Fuji Syusuke,_ the dark character thought to himself. _Ryuzaki Sakuno is mine. My little dancer._

**So, now that hopefully all of the people who saw this and picked up their torches and pitchforks thinking it was a filler have put the weapons down, I would just like to give a huge shout out of thanks to everyone who has stayed with the story to this point. I know you have all been somewhat disappointed that I have not updated, and I am SO SO SORRY that I haven't updated. But my muse went into hibernation and I couldn't crank out anything. Even for the Author's Contest that I was entered into at school, I had to yank something very old off of my other computer and update it. So, here we go: A personal shout-out of thanks and an answer to all of the reviews that this story has gotten so far!**

**Chapter One:**

**Aundreyjen- Thank you so much! I couldn't figure out their names for the life of me! Lol :)**

**Adriana- Thank you as well :)**

**Silvertwilightgemini- Definitely worked on it :D**

**Nephreia- No, ballet has nothing to do with tennis, but the story itself is based around Sakuno, who, let's face it, is not very good at tennis. So, I decided to try and place her in a setting that may improve her grace a little bit... Thank you for the compliment on my writing style, I try very hard to make sure everyone can understand everything :) I hope you enjoy my other stories as well.**

**Geebabbie- Oh dear! I hope your friend's dance turned out beautifully, even though that happened. I'll look forward to the other reviews! :)**

**An Hawkes- Thank you :)**

**Chapter Two:**

**GeeBabbie- Haha. Thank you for your vote, I agree with it :) Which means that this chapter should have made you very happy! I decided that after such a long absence, a little Fuji/Sakuno fluff was in order. Hope you enjoyed!**

**Kkk- I definitely will try!**

**Rebeccasanfujieijilvr- Hope this was what you had in mind as far as protection goes :)**

**Mrs Hatake Itachi- Still definitely trying! Lol**

**libertykid- Thank you so much! One of the best things an author can read in a review. I hope you still want to read more.**

**Shadow miko- I think I'm probably going to make Eiji more of an over-protective big brother. In the intensity of the story, I feel like the mood is more suited to Fuji than Eiji. I hope you're not too disappointed :( And as for who the mysterious figure is, you'll just have to wait and find out!**

**Galvanic- Nya, indeed :)**

**pot luver- haha. I'm glad you love it **

**seshomaruobsessed- Thank you so much! Constructive criticism is my best friend, and I hope I managed to include a little of that in this chapter, though I don't know how well I did. You and I agreed on the Fuji/Saku. Hopefully this chapter made you smile like your review made me smile :) Thanks again!**

**IcexFire- Thank you :) So can I, one day I just pictured her in a tutu and started writing :)**

**Hropkey-Thank you :) I try not to throw in an overload of detail when it isn't needed. Glad you enjoy it.**

**Miry- Haha, I agree with you. Just a few too many RyoSaku, though they can be fun to read sometimes as well. Thanks for letting me know, hope you enjoy the story!**

**Phoe2k- That's the feeling I was going for :) **

**Matoki- Exactly ;)**

**Chapter Three:**

**AnimeLvr- I'll do my best. Thanks for reading!**

**Eralda- haha. That's a huge compliment since I've only read the first few manga! The rest of this I got from the show. I'm really glad you like it!**

**Sakuno55- I'll try and keep all of this going in a direction you'll like (:**

**xHitsuSaku- Hopefully it'll get clearer as the story goes along. If not, feel free to ask any questions you still have.**

**FujiXSaku0709- I hope you loved this chapter; Fuji all around! Lol. I'm going to do my very best. Enjoy!**

**Silvertwilightgemini- I'm going to do my best to keep doing so.**

**Funabisenu- I'll do my best!**

**Bluementrit- Haha. I'm trying the best I can. I've had a non-active muse lately. Sorry this one took so long!**

**Dfisher25- glad you like it!**

**Kkk- I'm so sorry that the chapter was short :/ I love Tezuka/Sakuno pairings, and I'm definitely trying to get one in the works. But for now, that's going to go on a back burner to this one. Hope you'll still enjoy it!**

**Forever Dreamin- I hope you liked it!**

**Geebabbie- Haha. To answer in order, I used to take ballet, yes. I took it at a small Christian dance studio in my town. I studied for about two or three years, but unfortunately stopped just short of being of age to dance en pointe (at the studio you had to be 12 to dance en pointe). I didn't manage to be in any "performances" because, due to it being a Christian dance studio, they didn't compete or perform specific ballets like "Swan Lake" or "The Nutcracker". Some of the older, en pointe classes would perform part of these ballets at our recitals, but it was each class performing separately instead of all of us as a company. But yes, the costumes I got to wear were totally awesome. Haha. :) I hope you enjoyed the chapter!**

**Mrs Hatake Itachi- Hope you liked this update!**

**Tsuchi-daisho- Aww, thank you :) I'm glad you love it.**

**AnimeSakuraFan- Hope this chapter took care of that. Haha. **


	5. Here's A Hint

**OHMYGOD. Hi guys (: Sorry it's been so long, but Sophomore year is evil I tell you. EVILLLL. I know it's been a long time, but hopefully this chapter will make up for it? I know it's short, but I wrote this in about an hour (that's WITH editing time) so hopefully y'all like it (:**

Sakuno smiled brightly, removing the final photo from her roll of film from the development solution. The simple black-and-white photo showed nothing more than a tennis ball, sitting innocently on the court. But the shadows were just so, and it was beautifully artistic. She was more than pleased with how it had turned out.

True to his word, Fuji-senpai–_Syusuke-kun_ she mentally corrected herself– Syusuke-kun had pulled strings with the photography club, and she had gotten in with no issue. The only problem she'd had was that the president of the club was a girl in Syusuke-kun's grade, and she hadn't looked too happy that Syusuke-kun was bringing a "close personal friend" of his to join, since the friend was a girl.

But oh, well. Que sera, sera.

Just as she put up the picture to dry, the door to the dark room creaked open slightly. Sakuno jumped to try and cover her precious photographs. A small chuckle broke through the room as beautiful cerulean orbs met panicked cinammon.

"Gahh! Syusuke-kun!" Sakuno pouted slightly as the door closed and the tennis genius moved into the slightly cramped space. "You could have ruined my photos! And I just got the perfect one!" She moved aside and examined the tennis ball photo, praying that no light had come into contact with the still wet paper.

"Gomen nasai, Sakuno-chan. I didn't mean to affect your photography." He stepped up behind her, also examining the picture. "Saa, what an artistic picture. The lighting was perfect, it seems." Sakuno blushed at the compliments, and was very grateful that the dark lighting hid the red staining her skin.

Nothing could be hidden from Fuji's ever-observant eyes, but he chose, at least for the moment, to keep his observation to himself.

"Well, Sakuno-chan, tennis practice is almost over. It's past 6:30." He chuckled as Sakuno's eyes widened.

"Ahhh! Grandmother's gonna be so mad!!"

"Saa, saa, Sakuno-chan. Ryuzaki-sensei knows that I'll be walking you home, she's not too worried." The small young woman heaved a sigh of relief when she realized there wasn't a lecture about punctuality waiting on her at home. Still, she slipped quickly out of the door to the dark room, heading into the main room for the photography club and grabbing her book bag. Situating her heavy homework load on her shoulders, she prepared to walk home. She looked around, making sure that she hadn't left anything out of place and that Fuji was right behind her, and walked out of the room.

Fuji took a closer eye to things and made sure to lock the door behind them, and quickened his steps for a moment to ensure that the young girl who had caught his eye was not in harm's way for even the slightest amount of time.

For weeks, this pattern continued. Sakuno's schedule had been changed only slightly, so that she had a free period with Fuji in the photo lab instead of having study hall that period. She had at least one class with someone she knew every day, and they had made sure to switch her phone number, and to get her a new phone entirely. She went to the photo lab directly after school, usually accompanied by a tennis club member, and picked up a camera to work on her portfolio while she remained within eyesight of the tennis courts. While it was true that she missed dance something fierce, she didn't really have the time to focus on how much she missed it, because she was almost never alone. Momo-senpai walked with her to school every day, she was in classes with friends like Momo and Tomoka all day, she had Fuji-senpai _SYUSUKE-KUN_ in her free period, and was with all the tennis players AND Tomoka at tennis practice every day. Then Fuji walked her home and she was never home alone.

She smiled slightly as Fuji's hand brushed slightly against hers as he walked her home. She didn't really think life could get much better.

A dark figure, shrouded in a black trench coat and hat, plucked a cell phone out of his pocket as he saw Ryuzaki Sakuno walk out of Seigaku High School. For weeks, the little dancer he had been following had been surrounded constantly, never alone even for a moment. It was extraordinarily difficult to find a moment to try and get close, just to hear her voice, to see her graceful limbs in movement. Pressing a button on the speed-dial, he turned away from the gates.

"Konbawa, sir," he said quietly, stepping out of the way of any last-minute students running from the building, praying not to be late getting home from clubs. "Unfortunately not. She's been surrounded by people every moment." He paused, listening to the angry voice. "Hai. The tennis team. Every one of them seems quite protective of her. She's also changed her phone number. I haven't been able to get the new one yet." Another question. "Yes, the one who seems to be around her most is one Fuji Syusuke. There seems to be almost no moment when he's not with her." The voice on the other end of the line went silent for a long moment. "Sir?" the figure questioned, knowing something was going wrong in his boss's brain. The boss had sounded absolutely vicious when he asked if it was, indeed, the Seigaku tennis team defending the ballerina. Quiet words broke him out of his revere:

"I don't care what you have to do. I don't care how long it takes you, or what means you have to go to to accomplish it. I want them away from her. She is **mine**."

"Hai." With that, the call was ended. The dark figure turned back to the school, just as the first bell rang. _Watch out, Ryuzaki Sakuno,_ he thought. _You're in way over your head._

In an office somewhere across the ocean, cat-like eyes glared out of a large glass window as a lithe, dark-haired man slammed his cell phone down on the table.

"Mark my words, Fuji," he snarled, lips curling. "I **never** lose."

**Y'all, I KNOW it's not very long, but I hope this can tide you over, if only for a little while!! (:**


	6. Just the Beginning

**Hello again loves :) I can't tell you how enthusiastic I've been in the last couple days, looking at the reviews and especially the STATS for this story!! To everyone from the US, the Philippines, India, Singapore, Australia, Argentina, Canada, Panama, Malaysia, the UK, Italy, Puerto Rico, Hong Kong, Denmark, Finland, Germany Poland, Pakistan, Sweden, France, Indonesia, the Republic of Korea, Jamaica, and Saudi Arabia: HELLO!!! (And just to let y'all know, that's the list from JUST JANUARY of 2010!! How amazing is that??) I hope y'all enjoy :)**

Fuji Syusuke examined himself closely in the mirror. Nothing seemed any different, but he didn't understand why it was so much harder to talk to Sakuno today than any other day. He hadn't seen any less of her than usual today, she hadn't seemed ill or upset. Actually she had looked quite pretty today when he had first seen her. Her hair wasn't braided, it was perfectly curled lying against her petite shoulders and her eyes had been lit up with her laughter. The light had been hitting her face just the right way, so her already perfect skin seemed to glow. Some boy was there laughing along with her, trying to hold her hand...

Wait.

Trying to hold her hand?! It suddenly became quite clear to the tennis prodigy what, exactly, was the matter. He had known for some time that he was attracted to the young dancer, hell, he'd even thought her quite cute back in middle school. But as she'd been so focused on Ryoma at the time, and so shy, Fuji had never had the issue of wondering what would happen if another male had come into the picture. He could always admire her and wait, because he knew Echizen would never give her a chance; he was far too focused on beating his father at tennis. Then Ryoma left for America, and Fuji knew it wouldn't be long before he might have a shot with his coach's beautiful granddaughter.

But now, she was in high school. She was naïve...and she was beautiful. With her auburn hair and cinnamon eyes and skin as pale as china and clear as glass. She was small, but curvy, and had legs a mile long. 16 and beautiful.

Fuji cursed inside his mind. He had it _bad_.

"Syusuke-kun?" Her soft voice broke his thought train, and he realized he had walked from the bathroom back to the photography room without noticing. He had apparently been out of it for a bit, and she looked quite worried that he hadn't responded. He chuckled lightly.

"Saa, Sakuno-chan," he said lightly. "I didn't mean to worry you. I suppose I was just lost in thought." Her tense eyes relaxed, and the familiar sparkle returned.

"Oh," she said, smiling, and inclining her head just _so_. "Well, if you say so." She turned from him and walked back to her seat, where she had an open textbook, paper, and a pencil waiting for her.

"What are you up to, Sakuno-chan? Isn't it time for you to be building your portfolio?" Sakuno looked slightly put-out as she looked from her textbook back to her senpai, wondering if she really wanted to admit what was going on.

"I have to re-take an English exam," she explained quietly, embarrassed. "I made a fifty on it, so if I want to pass for the semester, I have to re-take it." Fuji tilted his head to the side as he looked on at Sakuno's embarrassment. He knew she'd never been particularly apt in English, but he didn't know she'd been having such difficulty with it.

"Would you like some assistance?" Sakuno's head shot up, her doe-like eyes wide.

"Oh no, Syusuke-kun!" she cried. "I don't want to take up any more of your time, I mean, you already spend so much time with me when I know you have better things to do. I'm sorry about that, by the way, I mean, that you have to spend so much of your spare time with me..." Her voice was cut off as Fuji's palm came to rest over her mouth and their eyes met.

_Her skin's so soft..._

_His hand's so warm...._

Without really realizing it, their faces began to get closer. Before she realized it, Sakuno found herself caught up in glowing cerulean irises, focused completely on her. A deep rose rose on her cheeks and across her nose, and she found herself admiring the smile that curved the side of Fuji's mouth, showing his amusement.

Fuji saw the light of the sunset coming from the window and shining on Sakuno's heart-shaped face, and the blush that covered her high cheekbones. He knew now that he was attracted to her, and prayed only that she felt something for him, also....

And, ever-so-gently, his lips brushed hers.

With a table between them, eyes closed, and her small, long-fingered hand resting on his face, Ryuzaki Sakuno and Fuji Syusuke felt something akin to lightning between them that had never been there before.

_ My first kiss...I'm getting my first kiss from Syusuke-kun!_ The thought did nothing to help erase the blush from her face, but at the same time, she felt no shame or embarrassment in the situation. As they pulled back from each other, completely unhurried, she allowed herself again to meet the beautiful eyes of her...boyfriend? She didn't understand what had happened, but hopefully he would clarify.

Fuji allowed himself to lean forward and press a soft kiss to her forehead.

"I want to be with you, Sakuno." He murmured softly, walking around the table and hugging the small young woman to him. "But that is up to you. I'm not going to make you do anything you don't want to do." Sakuno pulled back from his embrace slightly, her arms still wrapped around his waist.

"Syusuke." He glanced down at her, noticing the lack of suffix. She leaned up slightly and pressed her lips against his, briefly. And then she smiled her bright, happy smile. "I'd like that."

Syusuke smiled and pressed his lips against hers, harder than their first kiss. But they jumped apart as Sakuno's ring tone began blaring from her purse. She raced to answer the phone.

"Moshi moshi. Oba-san! Hai, hai, Syusuke-kun was just about to walk me home." She blushed at something her grandmother said. "Oba-san! Don't say such things!" Another moment, in which Fuji knew Ryuzaki-sensei was enjoying the embarrassment she'd caused her granddaughter. "Hai, Oba-san. We're leaving now. Sayonara." As Sakuno hung up the phone, Fuji wrapped one arm lightly around her waist and began closing her textbooks and gathering her things.

"I suppose I have to get you home, ne, Sakuno-chan?" Fuji's voice was laced with amusement as Sakuno finished packing her bag. She turned to him and smiled brightly before lacing her fingers with his.

"Hai, I think that might be a good idea. Before Oba-san comes looking for me." Fuji slung his bag over his other shoulder, refusing to remove his hand from his girlfriend's.

And for just a moment, neither one of them thought of what had been occurring in the past months that brought them together; they were just thankful to be together.

*

*

Just the opposite of what was going through the mind of the darkly clothed man sitting across the street from Seigaku High as the couple walked out, hand-in-hand, on the way to the girl's home.

**Well, that's it for this chapter! (: How was the fluff? I haven't written fluff in awhile, but hopefully it was okay (:**


	7. They Meet Again

Sakuno heaved a sigh of relief as she came around a bend in the jogging trail at the park. She had managed to somehow awake two hours ahead of her alarm, giving her plenty of time to go for a run—_without_ supervision. Now, don't get her wrong or anything; she was extremely glad that her boys (she didn't know when they had gone from "the tennis players" to "her boys," but they were) were all going out of their way to help her. Especially Syusuke. Her boyfriend hardly ever seemed to have a waking moment where he wasn't with Sakuno, trying to ensure that there were no problems with her getting to and from school, to and from anywhere else she wanted to go, and making sure that there were no easy entrances to her home. He was with her in her art class, he was with her during Photography Club, he was with her in the dark room, he was with her on afternoon walks, and he was with her most days for dinner…it seemed more like they were married but happened to sleep in separate houses. She really liked him, but at the same time it got old really fast, especially when she couldn't dance to vent her frustrations anymore.

Thinking of her pointe shoes and her ballet costumes, Sakuno held in a sigh filled with longing. She missed dancing. Missed the feel of a leotard and even missed the pain when she was learning a new dance. Her first pointe teacher had told their class repeatedly: "If it doesn't hurt, then you're not doing it right. Pointe is supposed to hurt your feet." Sakuno knew it was true, knew her feet would never bleed so badly doing anything else. They would never blister or be as twisted as a pointe shoe would cause, but she didn't care. She loved ballet. She had never felt so beautiful as when she was on stage dancing her heart out. Recital after recital, production after production…it was exhilarating and wonderful. She felt sad that whoever this person was had ruined that for her.

Slowing down to a stop from her fast-paced jog, Sakuno took a moment to pull her earbuds out of her ears and wrap the cord around her iPod, looking at the sky colored with the approaching dawn. She felt her breathing even out and her heart slow back to a normal pace as she stretched her legs, unwilling to sit down with the knowledge that, if she did, she'd certainly be feeling this run later. She hadn't been so active in weeks. She knew she was small, and didn't really need to keep active to remain so—her fast metabolism rate managed that for her—but she liked the feeling she got after a good workout. She was full of energy and felt ready to take on the world. She continued to glance around, taking in the flowers that were opening their petals to the weak sunlight beginning to filter in through the trees, and an older couple walking their small dog on the opposite side of the open square field that was the park's center. She smiled at them and returned their waving as they walked out of sight.

Immediately she knew something was wrong. The small hairs on the nape of her neck stood up under the thick cover of her ponytail, and she could feel eyes on her. Whipping around, she saw behind her the one person she wished to avoid on this early-morning run: the man in the trench coat. She could see beneath his hat that he was fairly pale and had stubble along his chin. In his right hand he held a cardboard coffee cup, and his left hand was casually stuck in his pocket. He wore dark sunglasses and a black fedora, and seemed to grin a little at her (very obvious) apprehension.

"Hi there, Sakuno." His Japanese was smooth, but she could tell he wasn't Japanese. And she didn't like that he was addressing her so familiarly; as if he were her friend or a friend of her family. She had no clue who this man was. But it was probably best to play it safe.

"Hello," she responded quietly. A twisted grin turned the corner of his mouth upwards. "I'm sorry, but do you need something? I'm kind of out for a run and I'll have to be getting home soon." The grin got larger.

"I'm just here to pass on a message, sweetheart. No need to get your hackles raised." Sakuno swallowed an indignant huff, not at _all_ pleased with being treated like a small, innocent nitwit.

"And just what would that message be? And from _whom_ is this message coming?" The man threw back his head and laughed boisterously before grinning his twisted grin at her again.

"It's coming from my boss, princess. He said to tell you that he doesn't find it very fair that he left for America and all of a sudden you don't want him anymore. He said he wants to know what happened to shy little innocent Sakuno, as opposed to the girl who's throwing herself at Fuji now." Sakuno's eyes had widened halfway through the message. Left for America…RYOMA was behind all of this?

"It's _Ryoma_ who's been having you follow me?" Sakuno couldn't even begin to contain her anger. "What right does he even _begin_ to think he has to have me stalked and followed around and hiding from the world? How could he even _think_ that that was okay?" A low chuckle sounded behind her at the end of her rant.

"I believe it's okay, _Sakuno-chan_, because you were mine. And I never lose, not even to Fuji Syusuke." Sakuno turned around to face the boy who had once been the obsession of her past that had changed into the young man who was plaguing her present.

Ryoma was still handsome, there was no denying that. His dark green hair was still the same length, pieces still sweeping down in front of sharp, golden, cat-like eyes that were, at the moment, lit with his deep amusement. Taller, definitely, towering over her 5'4" stature. If she had to guess, he was a little shorter than Syusuke's 5'10" frame, so he was probably around 5'7" or 5'8." He had obviously kept in shape, but was lithe as opposed to bulky, with defined muscles along his arms and calves that were exposed by, as usual, tennis shorts and a polo tennis shirt. For once, he wasn't wearing his hat. His arms were smugly crossed across his chest and all in all, to sum it up, he looked very pleased with himself.

"What are you doing here, Ryoma?" Sakuno questioned lowly, not willing to risk exposing her emotions to whatever it was her friend had become.

"Now don't be like that, Sakuno! I came all this way just to see you, and this is how you greet me? Why do you have to be like that?" Sakuno sighed at the faux politeness and hurt in his tone.

"Because you've been having me followed, Ryoma. That's why I 'have to be like that.'" Sakuno deadpanned, her fingers making quotation marks in the air. She was not about to lie down and let him walk all over her like she had when they were young. She wasn't that pitiful little girl anymore; she had grown stronger. She had a wonderful group of friends and a grandmother who loved her, and a boyfriend who would probably do anything for her. Ryoma couldn't even begin to try and hurt her anymore.

"Well, I had to have some way to keep track of you. You stopped sending texts after awhile, you know. I had to make sure you weren't hurt or seeing someone. Imagine how surprised I was when I found out that Sakuno, the shyest girl in my grade, was actually a ballerina and not the klutz I thought she was? Now that certainly peaked my interest. I wanted to learn more, so I did. I hired Mike here," at this, he nodded towards the man in the trench coat, "To keep an eye on you. He might not have been the most fluid in Japanese at the time, but he was good at his job. And then you started leaving your hair down and you looked so _beautiful_. I knew you had to be mine, but I wouldn't be coming home for a few more months. Until then, I had to keep you unattached. Just until I could get home. But of course, once you figured out what was going on because Mike rather stupidly _called you_ when he was sending me your number, and then the tennis players started hanging around and they were with you everywhere; you were never alone. Even at home, there was always someone there with you.

"Well I couldn't just let that slide, so I had a few phone calls made to them as well," at this, Sakuno stifled a gasp. The boys hadn't said anything about phone calls to **themselves**; they were always focused on her wellbeing. She would be sure to apologize when she saw them. "But still, Fuji stuck around. And he was always _touching_ you, no matter if it was just a hand on your shoulder or on your back to guide you along. And it made me so angry, Sakuno! You cared for _me_, you were _mine _and _mine alone._ What did he think he was _**doing**_, putting his hands on something that was mine? And you've given me the perfect opportunity this morning, Sakuno. To make you mine!" At that point there was a crazed gleam in those golden eyes and Sakuno, too late, realized that Ryoma was not in his right mind and that he needed to _get away from her right that minute_. Of course, by the time she had made that realization, Ryoma had already wrapped strong arms around her and his hands were grabbing everywhere and it _hurt_. The solid kick she landed on his knee was enough to get him to let go and she took off at a sprint, back the way she came.

"_**SAKUNO**_!" The scream of her name was left behind her as she made her way home. She didn't realize how long Ryoma had been talking; the sun was fully raised now, and she had no doubt that school had already begun. What had Syusuke thought when he had come to get her and she wasn't there? What had Oba-san thought when she woke up and Sakuno was gone?

Getting nearer to her house, she couldn't hold in the shout of "Syusuke!" as she saw her boyfriend come around the entrance of the gate. Fuji barely had time to turn around before Sakuno threw herself into his arms, shaking with sobs and barely able to hold herself up. Quickly and efficiently, Fuji quietly shushed her and picked her up, briskly walking back to her front door where Ryuzaki-sense was waiting. Cradling his girlfriend, Fuji walked quickly through the doorway and into the living room, where he gently set Sakuno down on the couch before sitting next to her and pulling her to himself. Eyes filled with worry, Ryuzaki-sensei observed the scene. She was grateful that she had already called into work.

"I'll go make some tea, Fuji. Make sure she's alright?" Sakuno had eventually broken down and explained everything to her grandmother after confronted with the fact that her schedule had been switched. Knowing what had been going on behind her back, she was undeniably thankful to her team for taking care of her granddaughter, Fuji especially. She had a feeling those two were more in love than they realized yet, so she had thought at first when she woke up that perhaps Fuji had come to collect Sakuno to take her out to breakfast. But when Fuji showed up at 7:30 to pick her up for school, Sumire knew that something had happened. She was worried that whoever this man was that had been following her granddaughter had finally taken action and removed her from their home. She felt immense relief when Fuji brought her back to the door, but worried more still at the stifled sobs that were coming from the small figure in Fuji's arms.

She took the tea she had prepared out to the living room, where hopefully a calmer Sakuno would be able to tell them what had happened.

**_I know it's not too long guys, but it 1:53 a.m. and I'm exhausted. We're getting really close to the end! :D_**

**_xoxox,_**

**_Caitlin  
_**


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